Cheeseburgers
by Cofkett
Summary: "What's your favourite food?" "Oh, um..." Castle said. "Are we talking every-day food or fine dining? If desserts are included - " "Cheeseburgers," Beckett said, cutting him off. "He loves cheeseburgers." "I do enjoy a good cheeseburger," Castle said in agreement. - - Inspired by 6x04. No spoilers for that episode (though chapter two may contain spoilers for Forbidden Planet).
1. Leave Him Guessing

**[Edit]: No, this is not a one-shot. Yes, it will be continued. Yes, there will be an M rated chapter (according to this site's guidelines)**

**First chapter follows the end scene of The Third Man.**

* * *

******10:02pm, **January 28, **2010**

**Precinct**

_Beckett twirled her hair around her finger as she and Castle walked arm in arm to the elevator._

_"So how did your date go?" she asked him._

_"It was kind of boring. Didn't talk much."_

_Beckett made a noise of disgust._

_"Mr. July?" he inquired as the elevator dinged._

_"Little self-absorbed."_

_"Looked it."_

_"Really?" she asked as they entered._

_"Could tell."_

_"Some people just don't know how to behave on a date."_

_Beckett pressed the button._  
_ "Especially on a first date," she said in agreement._

_"Exactly," Castle said as the doors closed._

* * *

There were no booths at Remy's. Only tables. There weren't any for two, but thankfully, given the late hour and subsequent lack of customers, they didn't need one. Beckett was grateful as they sat down at a table for four. It made it seem less like a date.

"I'll get a cheeseburger with extra pickles, large curly fries and a blue moon milkshake," Castle said.

"And I'll have a Boris Burger, small fries and a strawberry milkshake."

"Ok, no problem," said the server, who left.

Castle raised his eyebrows as he removed his jacket and put it on his chair.

"What?" Beckett asked.

"Who's Boris?" he inquired as he placed his now folded tie in his pocket.

"Nobody. It's just the name of the burger. Lean beef on a sesame seed bun, barbeque sauce, cos lettuce, fresh tasty cheddar, tomato and onions."

"Why is it called a Boris burgrer?"

Beckett shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know I like it."

"You never asked for the story behind the name?"

"No. Does it matter?"

"The story always matters, Beckett. Have I taught you nothing?"

Beckett smiled and shook her head.  
"Guess not. What will you do with me, Castle?"

Castle smiled back.  
"I have a few ideas."

"And I have a few bullets in my gun."

Castle grinned and looked around, deciding a change of subject would be best.  
"I love this place."

"Me, too," Beckett said, a warm tone in her voice.

"How long have you been coming here?" Castle asked.

"Since I started working at the twelfth," Beckett said.

"Same," Castle said. "I mean, since I started shadowing you. I love old places like this."

Beckett shrugged.

"I don't really care either way. It's cheap, close to work and and the food's good. Plus it's a cop bar, so we don't get a lot of trouble. It's a nice place to unwind."

Their orders arrived.

"Oh, great," Beckett sighed.

"Thank you," Castle said. "May I ask why it's called the Boris Burger?"

He shrugged.  
"You can ask but you won't get an answer. The chef who created it passed away twenty years ago. We get that question sometimes. No one knows."

"This chef... was his name Boris?"

"Geoffrey. Sorry."

Castle sighed.  
"It's ok."

The server left.

"Hey, cheer up, Castle. Some things are supposed to remain a mystery."

Castle inclined his head.  
"Well, I won't argue with that."

"Really? Don't you have a compulsion to solve every mystery?"

"No, not every mystery. What I like is the process. Allowing the story to unfold before you, putting all the pieces together. But sometimes that ending isn't always... satisfying. Which is why I never tried to find my father."

Beckett blinked. The conversation had suddenly gone to a place she hadn't expected; but he was opening up to her and as awkward as it was, she liked it. Richard Castle was famously fatherless, that was public knowledge, but she didn't know the details.

Castle bit into his burger.

"Mm, this is good." He swallowed.  
"I don't know his name. I don't know where he's from, if he's still alive, if he knows about me. He was a one-night stand."

It was seldom that he dropped his facade to reveal something real about himself, and Beckett hadn't even noticed her own hand slide across the table to graze his fingers.

Castle met her half way, squeezing her hand gently.

"I like living with the mystery. It 's part of what's made me who I am. I think being raised by a strong single mother has helped me be a better father to Alexis."

"You _are _a good father, Castle. It's one of the things I like about you."

He looked up at her.  
"There are things you like about me?"

"Castle, how old are we? Yes, there are things I like about you. We're friends, aren't we? I told you just a couple of weeks ago, I don't mind having you around. You just need to learn your place."

Castle leaned over the table, so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin as he stared at her with those penetrating blue eyes that looked straight through her.

"And what is my place, Detective?"

Her cheeks grew hot.  
She pushed down the frisson of electricity bubbling inside her and met his gaze, smiling nonchalantly.

"Well, I can't tell you that. You have to learn it for yoursef. Eat your cheeseburger."

"Gladly. Mm," he said taking another bite, his voice muffled as he talked with his mouth open. "So good."

"I'm surprised your mother didn't teach you table-manners, Castle."

"Oh, she taught me; I just feel comfortable with you."

"What an honour."

"Hey, at least I don't squat in other people's houses. That's taking rudeness to a whole new level."

"Mickey was harmless."

"I know. I liked the guy; but still, a stranger in your home, sleeping in your bed, bathing naked in your shower..." He shuddered.

"Hopefully, he'll be able to turn his life around."

"You think he will?"

"I think he has a good chance. It's actually one of my favourite parts of the job. Going to the grocery store and seeing someone I picked up for petty theft when I was a beat cop making an honest living bagging vegetables; getting a call lletting me know a drug addict I testified for so she would go to rehab instead of jail is still clean after five years."

"What happened to 'people don't change'?"

"They don't. Fundamentally. But sometimes even good people make mistakes, go down the wrong path. Mickey just needs to find the right one. He's the kind of person my Mom used to represent. He doesn't need to change; he just needs someone to show him a better way."

Castle smiled.  
"You looked up to your mother."

She nodded.  
"Still do. She was the best person I ever knew." She cleared her throat wiped her mouth with her napkin.  
"Well, it's getting late - "

"Do you want to split a cab?"

She almost laughed.  
"My apartment's twenty blocks in the other direction from yours."

"I can pay the full cab fare."

She shook her head, beaming.  
"That's sweet. But I have a ride."

"Oh," Castle said, trying to seem unaffected. "Someone I know?"

"Not a someone; a something. It's in the underground parking lot of the precinct."

"You have a car?"

She smiled and gathered up her dress as she stood up.  
"Goodnight, Castle," she said, walking off into the night, leaving him gaping after her. He didn't need to know about her Harley yet. She would save that for later. She had shared quite enough of herself with him for one night. Besides, it was always so much more fun to leave him guessing.


	2. Lying Liars Who Lie

**To answer a question I've been getting a lot, yes, there will be an M-rated chapter. This isn't it. If you were looking for nothing more than dirty sex you've come to the wrong place; but there will be a scene that crosses the line into M territory, which is the reason for the rating. **

**I don't know if I've ever had so many follows after a first chapter before. ****It means a lot either way, especially since when I originally uploaded it there were a lot of errors, most of which have since been fixed. ****Thank you, and I hope you like this next chapter, which takes place after _Law and Murder_.**

**ps Liz, if you see this, you may not want to read it on a full stomach.**

* * *

**March 30, 2011**  
**8:15pm**  
**Precinct**

* * *

Richard Castle, you diabolical genius, _Castle commended himself as he followed Beckett to the elevator._  
_ "Alright, then, can I have, uh, candy and popcorn?"_

_"Sure. Oh, Castle, you're going to love this; this is Leslie Nielson before he became a comic genius," Beckett said._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Can we stop for burgers at Remy's after?"_

_"Now you're pushing it."_

_"Oh. Sorry."_

_"Kidding."_

_As Becket gushed about one of his favourite films next to him in that elevator, he couldn't help a triumphant smirk. Because he may not have the girl, but at least for tonight, Beckett wasn't going to be with Dr. Motorcycle Boy; she was going to be with Castle, watching a movie, eating, talking... while Josh was stuck at work. And even though it didn't change anything - she still had a boyfriend who wasn't him, and would still have one by the end of the evening - Castle had learned to appreciate the little victories in life; and an evening with Kate Beckett outside of work definitely felt victorious._

_Just for tonight, he could even pretend it was enough._

* * *

It felt like a date , in the dark theatre, sitting so close to her he could hear her breathing. She was beautiful. Not just in the obvious way he'd always known.  
More and more he was privileged to get glimpses of _Kate_, and tonight was a special treat. She really did adore this movie - possibly as much as he did. She hung on every word and no matter how many times she'd seen it, she still reacted to every thing like it was her first time. He wanted to watch her more but every time something funny happened on-screen she would be looking at him to see his reaction.

* * *

They exited the theatre in total silence, smirking occasionally when they caught each other's eye. It wasn't until they were sitting down at Remy's that one of them finally spoke.

"Well?" Beckett asked.

"Well, what?"

"What did you think of the movie?"

He shrugged.  
"It was ok," he said, looking down at his menu, discretely looking back up to see her reaction.

Her face fell.  
"Oh. Ok."

Castle smiled and put the menu d own.  
"Relax, Kate. I loved it."

Her face lit up. She quickly reigned in her emotions and cleared her throat.  
"Really? You're not just saying that?"

Castle grinned.  
"Trust me, Kate. I absolutely loved that movie."

"You didn't think there was too much exposition? Some people think so."

"Well, maybe by today's standards. But this was made in the fifties and that was the style of sci-fi at the time. So I'll give it some leeway for that. Besides, I thought Morbius was interesting and I liked watching him speak."

"Me too. Even if he was a bit of a psychopath."

"That's what made him so interesting!"

"Right. Right, I forgot who I was talking to."

They smiled at each other.

"You know, you didn't seem too surprised by that ending. The first time I saw it, I was pretty shocked."

"Well I guess I'm a little more jaded by modern Hollywood. Besides, you said the Matrix had inspired it..."

"Right. Right, yes I did. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It didn't spoil my enjoyment."

"I hate being spoiled on endings!"

"Well, me, too but you didn't overtly spoil me and besides, it's not a mystery."

The server came by and they made their orders.

"Cheeseburger, extra pickles please."

"Same," Beckett said. "And a strawberry Milkshake."

"Coming right up," said the server, who left.

"I thought you liked those mysterious Boris Burgers."

"I do. But I like cheeseburgers, too."

"Well, what's not to like?"

"Do you ever eat any other type of burger?"

"Sure. Sometimes. But cheeseburgers are so good. The meat, the ketchup, the cheese - and if they have pickles, even better. They're great brain-food. Maybe my work isn't Shakespeare but thanks to cheeseburgers, I'd say it's still pretty good."

"Oh! Speaking of Shakespeare, did you know_ Forbidden Planet_ was loosely based on The Tempest?'"

_Yes._  
"No. No, but, uh... now that you mention that, that makes a lot of sense - thematically, at least."

They were so engrossed in their conversation about the movie that they were both surprised at how quickly their orders made it to the table.

Castle smiled at Beckett.  
"Where have you been all my life?"

Beckett looked uncomfortable.  
"Uh... what?"

"I'm talking to the burger."

"Oh," Beckett said.

He took a bite.  
"Oh yeah, baby."

"You're acting like it's your first cheeseburger, Castle."

"Every time is a new experience," Castle said. "Can I have some of your milkshake?"

"What? No."

"Come on, I'm thirsty."

"Then you should have ordered a drink."

"I didn't want to have to pee again after that giant soda at the movies. My bladder - "

"Castle, TMI for dinner conversation."

"Right. Right, sorry."

"Castle, just order a drink. I'm paying."

"Can you afford it?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't. I may not be Mr. Fancy best-selling novelist but I can afford to take my friend out for a burger." She winked.

Castle wouldn't have expected the word 'friend' to sting so much. Because he loved that she called him that, that she considered him a friend. But he had been pretending they were more tonight. She had made it so easy to pretend that things were the way they were supposed to be. But they weren't. It was ok, though. At least they had the rest of the night.

Beckett's phone rang.  
"Oh."

Her face changed.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. Uh... yeah. It's Josh. " She answered it. "Hey, Babe.  
"Well, I thought you were on late shift. Oh. Well, that's good. I just... I went to that movie I was telling you about.  
"Forbidden Planet. Oh. I uh... wasn't alone. Yeah.  
"Yeah. Um, we had a lot of fun." She checked her watch. "Oh, um, yeah, of course, Babe, of course. Yeah, no, I'll be there soon.  
"Yeah, I'm, leaving now. Ok. Me, too. See ya soon."

She hung up.

"You're leaving?" Castle asked, keeping his voice as casual as possible.

"Yeah. Uh yeah. He got off work early. He came to my place to surprise me."

"He knows that you were out with me."

"Yeah," she said.

"And he's ok with it?"

"Well, of course, Castle, he trusts me. He knows you're just my partner."

Partner. Somehow that stung even more than friend. Maybe it was the way she had put the word "just" in front of it.

"Right, " Castle said. "Right."

"I'm going to go pay for our food. Then I'm going to take off. I had a great time."

"Me, too."

"See you at the precinct."

"Yeah, " he said, his throat dry. "See ya."

He dropped the fake smile as soon as she turned her back.

The hardest part of all was that he knew he wasn't just her partner. He knew she had feelings for him. Maybe they weren't as strong as the ones he had for her, maybe she didn't realise it yet, but there was definitely something between them and it wasn't completely one-sided. He hadn't imagined the way she smiled at him sometimes, the passion and heat when she'd kissed him and _that fucking moan_. The ease with which they could be together, like tonight, how important it had been to her that he like a movie she loved.

They made so much sense. They should be together, he could feel it. But instead, she was with Josh. It wasn't fair. Maybe it was petulant, childish and immature. But Castle didn't care. He saw her first.

He knew in his heart _he_ was the one she should be going home to, whose arms she should be falling into at the end of the day, who she should be calling Babe. Not Motorcycle Boy. The more time went on, the less and less likely it seemed any of that would ever happen.

If only he could be sure she didn't feel the same, he could walk away, move on. But as long as he still had an iota of a chance, he couldn't walk away from her. Because it was Kate Beckett. But waiting for someone who was with someone else was taking its toll on him.

* * *

Josh was at the door when she opened it, greeting her with a warm kiss.

"Mm," Becket said, stroking his face with affection.

"Hey."

"Hey." He moved out of the way so she could get in, "Did you make it home ok?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry about cutting girls' night short. I hope Lanie didn't mind too much."

"Oh, no, she has an early start any way."

"Oh, good," he said, wrapping her in his arms.

Beckett smiled. She wondered if perhaps she should have corrected him when he'd assumed she was with Lanie during their phone call earlier, instead of lying. From the few conversations they' had about Castle, he didn't seem to view him as a threat. Still, she couldn't take the risk that he might confront her about her real feelings for her partner. Lying to Josh made it easier to lie to herself.


	3. An Inconvenient Weirdness

**Thank you again for the wonderful reviews, faves and follows. The follows actually doubled for the second chapter. I can't believe how popular this little story is. This chapter is set at the end of _Eye of The Beholder_, so Beckett has already been broken up with Josh for a while.**

* * *

**October 20, 2011  
****12:30pm  
****Precinct**

_The case was over, and Beckett had put aside her bitterness because at the end of the day, Serena had been very helpful - besides, her issues were her own; it had been unfair of her to take them out on the insurance investigator. So, now, they were friendly, as they stood by Beckett's desk while she went through a file._

_"I want to thank you," Serena said in earnest, smiling, her hands on her hips. "I couldn't have done this without you. I'm really grateful."_

_"So, does that mean you're cutting me in on the finder's fee?"_

_"I'm not that grateful."_

_Beckett nodded, smiling back._

_"Well," she said, looking up, "I, uh..." Her gaze caught an oblivious Castle through the break-room window, tossing a cup into the air and catching it effortlessly as if he'd done it hundreds of times._

_Which he had._

_Beckett had a sharp intake of breath. She looked down again. "... think we all ended up with what we wanted." She swallowed._

_"Yeah," Serena agreed._

_"Um, you know... after you and Castle went on that date - "_

_"More like a sting."_

_" - he... never thought that you were involved." Serena nodded slowly._

_"He believed in you even when I didn't." She tried to smile. She was trying to do the honourable thing. Step aside. Give Castle the chance to be happy with someone who wasn't broken, someone fun. Show Serena that he really was a good guy, despite having deceived her._

_But as she felt the twinge of pain in her chest that had nothing to do with her bullet wound, she couldn't help but think to herself_, Fucking Hell, being honourable bites the big one.

_Serena looked her up and down._

_"Why are you telling me this?'_

_Beckett shrugged.  
"Just, I -I think you should know what kind of person you're dealing with."  
_He can come off as a self-centred jackass sometimes, _she said inwardly_, but he has a huge heart - and he's loyal to a fault. So you'd better not hurt him.

_"Here we are, Ladies," Castle said, approaching with two coffees._

_They thanked him as they each took one._

_Castle looked form Serena to Beckett, who were both suddenly very quiet now that he was there._

_"Anything wrong?" he asked, mildly self-conscious._

_"Uh... no," Beckett said. "I should - I... I'll just go and file some stuff." _

_Castle nodded as she left the two of them to talk._

_"Uh, and I... I'm going back to my hotel,' Serena said, grabbing her things. "I'd ask you to come, but, it's as I said: I don't steal things that belong to someone else."_

_Castle smirked as she kissed him on the cheek._

_As he watched her leave, he realised she'd put it more eloquently than he ever could - why he couldn't take his mothers' advice and just have fun. Because he could have a lot of fun with Serena; she was just his type; strong, intelligent, flirtatious, intriguing, sexy. And he was definitely attracted to her, there was no denying that._

_But he had to wait for Beckett - at least for now. Because she was right. He belonged to Kate, and it wouldn't be fair on her or himself to pursue something he couldn't put all of himself into. Serena was an incredible woman, who deserved a man's full attention. Something he could never give her as long as he was in love with another woman, because that woman would always come first._

_Beckett reappeared at that moment, looking confused._

_"You guys didn't go out?"_

_Castle shook his head, trying to be as casual as possible.  
"No." _

_She tried to suppress an elated grin._

_"Why?"_

_"Because I can't afford it," he said, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "The museum just slapped me with a bill for that exhibit I broke."_

_Beckett's eyes widened as he unfolded the document to reveal a lot of zeroes._

_"Whoa!" she said, taking it and staring down._

_"I know! You'd think they'd cut me some slack after the whole helping-to-solve-the-case thing. "_

_"I guess the least the NYPD can do is take you out for a Hamburger." She bit her lip looking up at him surreptitiously, fighting her nerves._

_Castle shifted his gaze, pretending to consider._

_"I accept."_

_She smiled._

_"Let's go."_

_He followed her, as he always did._

_"I could put Alexis through college on this," Castle said as they walked toward the elevator._

_"Yeah, and Med School."_

_"Thank God I'm rich."_

* * *

Castle stared at her as they stood near the front counter at Burger King, waiting for their orders.

"What?"

"Do you always order a different burger?"

"Do you always order the _same_ burger?"

"Beckett, I thought we'd already established how I feel about Cheeseburgers - and the ones here - flame grilled, are you kidding me? _Oh, my God_!"

"Well, it's Burger King Castle, of course I'm going to order a Whopper."

"One Large Whopper Meal, One Large Cheeseburger Meal," the girl at the desk said.

"Thanks," Beckett said, taking the tray.

"That was fast," Castle said.

"Yeah, they should call it 'fast food'."

Castle scoffed as they found a table for two and sat down.  
He breathed in deeply.

"Do you smell that?"

She took a whiff.  
"Grilled meat and floor polish?"

"That's the smell of America, Beckett. That's what America smells like."

"Well maybe America needs to take a shower - or at least put on some deodorant."

"Thank you for taking me here, Beckett. I spend so much time in wineries and fancy restaurants, I don't get a lot of opportunities to reconnect with the people. You know me so well."

"Actually, I just brought you here because it's Remy's centennial today and I don't feel like getting caught up in all the hoopla."

"Oh_. I_ like hoopla."

"I know... I'm sorry; I just... it would be so loud with all the festivities and drunk cops... we wouldn't really be able to talk."

He nodded.  
"You have a point. And I like talking to you," he said, slipping a fry into his mouth.

She smiled and took a sip of her shake.

"So," she said, trying to keep her tone casual. "Do you think you'll see Serena again? I mean... on a night you can afford to take her out?"

Castle shrugged, unwrapping his burger.  
"I don't know if Serena's still interested in me after what I did."

"Well... what about you? Are you still interested in her?"

He stopped what he was doing and stared at her.

"Yeah, I am. She's very interesting."

Beckett nodded slowly, suddenly losing her appetite.

"But... she's not in my heart."

Beckett forced herself to breathe evenly.

"Since when did that matter?"

"I... I don't know; I guess as you get older... your perspective changes and you start looking for more."

"More... what?"

"Ok... truth?"

She nodded.

He leaned forward across the table, his body uncomfortably close to hers.

"It almost doesn't seem worth it any more to just... date. If I'm with someone I want it to be real, someone I feel a connection to. Someone I can laugh and joke with, someone I can share myself with, find comfort in... and yes, a physical attraction would be good, too. But it's not everything."

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Wow, I guess wisdom really does come with age."

Castle's eyes pierced her own with such intensity she was finding it hard to breathe. It was too much. She needed to change the subject.

"Kate - "  
"So... Hamburgers," she laughed with uneasiness as she picked up her Whopper. "Why do they call them Hamburgers? Most of them don't have ham. Have you ever had a ham hamburger?"

Taking the hint, Castle nodded and ate the rest of his fries while Beckett devoured her Whopper, trying to ignore that weird thing between them that was getting harder and harder to ignore - even harder these days since she'd heard his confession, causing those words to echo in her dreams every night.

_I love you, Kate. I love you._

"Well, many people claim to have invented Hamburgers but they can be traced back to Otto Krause, who was himself, a Hamburger."

She narrowed her eyebrows.

"He lived in Hamburg, Germany, where he allegedly invented them. So you see, it has nothing to do with ham at all," he said, smiling as he took a bite.

He had indulged her rather than pushing her, and she was grateful.

"Well, that is very - " She sniggered as she looked up to see his entire chin smeared with Ketchup.

"What?"

"You've got..." She wiped her chin.

Castle took his napkin and mimicked her movements.  
"What? Where? Did I get it?"

She laughed as he merely spread the red condiment around his face.

"Here," she said, leaning across the table with her own napkin and gently brushing it along his skin, their faces inches from each other as he stared, captivated by the contact.

"All gone," she whispered.

More weirdness. Hot, pulsing, very inconvenient weirdness.

She stood up.

"Well, I - I have to go. It's - I have to go back to the precinct. But this was good, I enjoyed it."

"Y - Uh, yeah, me, too."

She put her hand on his shoulder.

He stared at her.

"I mean it. We should do this more often. I always enjoy having burgers with you."

"Me, too, Kate."

She gently squeezed his shoulder, ignoring the spark it sent through her, and left.

She couldn't use her words yet, she didn't know if she would ever be ready to do that, but the simple touch was her way of saying sorry.

_I'm sorry I'm not ready, I'm sorry I'm so broken, I'm sorry I'm making you wait, I'm sorry I acted so petty during this case, I'm sorry you're in love with someone who doesn't deserve you._

She looked back at him one last time, to see him looking a little confused, and perhaps a little hurt, too.

_I'm just so sorry, Castle._


	4. Ketchup

**Set between After the Storm and Cloudy with a chance of Murder.**

* * *

**_May 9, 2012  
10:30am  
_****_Precinct_**

_"'No'?" Castle echoed incredulously as they walked to the elevator. "What does she mean, 'no'?"_

_"I'll have to serve out my suspension, " Beckett explained as he pressed the button, "same as Esposito."_

_The doors opened and they stepped inside._

_"What'll you do in the meantime?" he asked, concerned. After the last few days most women would welcome a break. Not Kate Beckett. If she didn't have something to occupy her, he was afraid what it would do to her sanity. All this new information about her mother's death couldn't be easy to process; and they were still so new, he wasn't sure what the new boundaries were yet._

_Beckett smirked, though of course he couldn't see her as he stood behind her._

_"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll think of something," she said, reaching over to grab his crotch.  
_

Startled, he looked down at the firm yet gentle hold she had on him, and looked back up as the doors closed.

"Detective Beckett! There are cameras!"

"Oh, they won't tell anyone, will you boys?" She asked the cameras. She waved. "Hey, Steve. Steve would be shifted on now. Steve owes me."

"I really don't think -"

She turned around and pushed him up against the wall.

"Come home with me."

"Oh, I kind of have plans with Alexis. She's leaving for Europe with her Grandmother next week - and then I swear, I'm yours."

She groaned.  
"_One whole week_? That's half my suspension! "

Still getting used to Beckett openly expressing her reluctance to be away from him, he stammered. She was not playing fair, grabbing him in the elevator, getting him all worked up.

"Uh - uh, well... I'm free tomorrow. She's staying in Malibu for the next few days to make up for Meredith not being able to make her graduation."

"Tomorrow? What time can you come over?" she whimpered into his neck.

"Uh... lunchtime?"

Her eyes sparkled.  
"Ok. Yeah. Come over tomorrow. I'll make you lunch."

* * *

Castle stood outside Beckett's apartment holding an overnight bag and a bottle of wine. Beckett had been very mysterious about what she was making him, so he wasn't sure what kind to bring; he decided to play it safe and go with a 1994 Californian Merlot.

He was a little apprehensive about the over-night bag, too. Would she find it presumptuous that he brought a change of clothes, a razor and his toothbrush? Would she be offended? She'd made it fairly clear what her intentions were but...as he'd told her two days earlier, this was all still new to him. Kate Beckett had invited him over to have lunch and possibly sex. Because apparently that was something they did now.

Anxious, he finally built up the courage to knock on the door.

She answered, dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, relieving his fears that he might have under-dressed. It was only a lunch-date, after all. Was it even a date?

_Oh, God._

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey."

"I like your shirt. I don't usually get to see you looking so dressed down, Castle. It suits you."

"Thank you."

She looked down.

"Oh, you brought wine!"

"Yeah, I-"

She took the bottle from him.

"Thank you, Castle. Merlot. Good choice. That'll definitely work."

She looked down at his bag.

"Uh..."

"You can take that into the bedroom."

He blinked. Then, hastily complied.

Beckett smiled, shaking her head.

* * *

He came back out to find her standing near the table, on top of which were two freshly plated burgers next to every type of condiment hone could possionbly want on a burger. Next to each plate was a glass of the merlot he'd brought.

He smiled.  
"You made me a cheeseburger?"

"I made _us_ cheeseburgers," she said, correcting him.

"This is great, Kate."

They sat down . He picked up the top bun and smothered it with a healthy dose of ketchup before digging in.

"You like?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded with much enthusiasm.

"I'm glad. I know cheeseburgers are important to you."

"Thank you," he said.

She smiled.  
"You're welcome."

"So, uh... Senator Bracken."

She nodded.  
"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm ok." She squeezed his hand.

" How does it feel now, knowing? Is there a bit of closure now or is it even harder, knowing exactly who's responsible and not being able to do anything about it?"

Beckett took a deep breath and wiped her mouth with a napkin.  
" I won't have real closure until that son of a bitch is behind bars. But I've decided not to focus on that right now. I'll deal with it when the time comes. _We_ will deal with it," she corrected herself, her hand brushing his thigh. "For now I... I just want to live my life, you know? I just want to be happy."'

"Well, I hope I can help out with that."

"You already are."

He smiled and took another bite. Ketchup squirted everywhere. They laughed.

She gave him some napkins and he cleaned himself up.

"Did I get all of it?"

"Actually you..." she stared at him, her own napkin inches from his face. "Missed a spot," she said, her voice dry.

She bit her lip.

He felt like prey being sized up by a hungry predator. It aroused him.

She licked the underside of his jaw. He shuddered with desire and gripped the table to keep from throwing her on top of it and having his way with her. Because she had cooked for him. Sort of. And that would not be polite. Even if she was deliberately driving him crazy.

Beckett appeared to return her attention to her own burger, grabbing the ketchup bottle.

"Oh, no," she cried. "Clumsy me."

Ketchup ran down her fingers.

"Help me, Castle?"

She held her hand out to him.

His eyes darkened and he licked form thumb to finger until the ketchup was gone.

They stared at each other, both breathing heavily. Beyond pretence now, she tugged his t-shirt up.

"Arms, Castle."

He lifted them in compliance.

She pulled it over his head and without breaking eye contact, grabbed the ketchup bottle and squeezed, slathering the cool liquid all over his chest.

He shivered. With a wicked grin, she lapped up the ketchup from navel to neck, revelling in his body's reactions as his muscles bunched and his pulse accelerated. She swirled her tongue around each nipple, watching his cloudy gaze as she did so, waiting for him to break. He kept his resolve though, allowing her to lick him clean.

She looked down at his lap and back to his face. He followed her gave, half excited, half terrified.

She unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down. The boxers soon followed. She grabbed the bottle again.

He had a sharp intake of breath. Because it was cold. But not too cold. Captivated, he watched as she covered him _there_ with ketchup, and he got even more aroused by the combination of the cool sensation and the look on her face. When she finally put the bottle down, Ketchup was dripping all over her floor - not that she seemed to mind.

It looked like a hot dog. A thick, frozen hot dog. She licked her lips.

He gasped as she sucked him off, devouring the ketchup as she did so. And if he thought she'd be less enthusiastic once the flavour was gone, he was wrong. She became even more eager.

"Kate, you can - _soon_."

Her eyes sparkled and she kept her lips right where they were at the crucial moment. She got all of it without choking.

He lay back against the chair, spent. She rested her head against his stomach.

He stroked her hair.  
"You're really swell," he breathed.

She smiled up at him.  
"That was fun."

Once he'd recovered somewhat, he gently cupped her chin, knelt down to her level and kissed her with all the tenderness in his heart.  
"Thank you," he said, coming up for air, staring deep into her eyes. He kicked off his shoes, socks, jeans and boxers and lay her down on the floor, using his discarded shirt as a pillow.

He pulled down her jeans , sliding his hand into her panties, listening to her moans and sighs as he put two fingers right where she wanted them, caressing that special spot above with his thumb until she cried out in ecstasy and then slumped, sated. He looked down at her in utter adoration.

She pulled her jeans up, he put his boxers back on and helped her clean up their mess and they moved their lunch into the living room. Beckett put a blanket on the floor and they picnicked, finishing their cheeseburgers and drinking their wine.

* * *

Afterward, they took their plates to the kitchen and washed them. Beckett rubbed her hands together.  
"Dessert," she said with mischief in her eye. "I picked up some whipped cream yesterday when I was getting the ingredients for our lunch."

Once she had the can in her hand he slammed the fridge door shut. She turned to face him.

'Good, 'cause I'm still hungry."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a condom packett.  
"Look what else I got."

He was already at half-mas tbut the fact that she planned this, and the giddy glee on her face, took him the rest of the way.  
"Always prepared," he said huskily.

She grinned, taking him by the wrist and leading him to the living room.

* * *

They were both completely bare now, she in his lap on top of the blanket.

She hummed as he sprayed a generous amount of whipped cream on her breast and her hand fisted in his hair as he enjoyes his dessert. He paused. She giggled.

"What is it, Castle?"

He released her from his lips and placed his thumb on an oddly shaped discolouration on her skin.

"I didn't see this last night," he said .

"That's a birth-mark," she said.

"On your boob?"

"It wasn't my boob when I was born, it was high up on my torso. But then I... developed."

"Mm-hmm, and very nicely if I may say so."

"You may. Speaking of things we didn't notice last night..." she reached down his hip to stroke his tattoo. "What does this mean?"

"I'm still not a hundred percent sure on that. Peace? That's what I was told. I think it's an Egyptian Glyph of some kind."

She stared at him.

"I was nineteen and very, very drunk," he explained

"I think it's sexy."

"Well, I've shown you mine. What about you? Unless you were lying - "

She spread her legs.

His jaw dropped.

"I'm showing you the tattoo, perv."

He looked. It was a small black and white creature on the inside of her thigh.

"Is that a dolphin?"

"It's an orca."

His eyebrows raised.  
"A killer Whale? Neat!"

"Orcas are very beautiful, strong, resilient, misunderstood creatures, Castle."

"Then I can see why you would be drawn to them," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"What about your naval ring? I don't see any holes."

"Yeah, I _was _lying about that one_."_

"Damn."

"Well, I can't help it. You were so easy. And asking for it, being such a sleaze with those x-ray specs saying you could see me naked."

"Well, I was _picturing_ you naked. Does that count?"

She pecked him on the nose.  
"So, how does the reality match up?"

"Nothing compares to the reality," he said, running his thumb along her surgical scar to the underside of her breast to her bullet wound, which he caressed softly.

Beckett gently tilted his head back by the chin and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him so that her breasts were pressed against his chest. She grabbed his shoulders, lifted herself up and lowered herself down onto his length. She threw her head back as he filled her. He placed his hands on her cheeks as she straightened again.

She purred in contentment. He sighed in reply, his breath warming her skin. She inched her pelvis up, hands on his chest, and eased back down. She inhaled his scent, basking in every molecule of him surrounding her, loving her. As she rocked against him, she looked down and watched their joining. She looked back up at him. He looked as stunned as she felt that this was actually happening. This was the first time they had made love in the light of day and it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

It was also fucking sexy. But all of it, the love and lust and the pure energy of joining with him hit her all at once, the magnitude of _them_ and what they were doing and what they had entered into just three nights ago when she'd showed up rain-soaked on his doorstep, and a tear escaped through the corner of her eye. He didn't skip a beat, capturing it with his thumb and bringing it to his lips. She kissed him again, still moving with a slow, even cadence.

She was controlling the movement, making sure he was hitting just the right spot as he reached down to touch her the way she'd showed him she liked the other night. She moaned as it hit her, bringing him closer to his own release, emerging from his mouth and resting her head against his shoulder for a moment before bringing her hands around his neck and increasing her speed, pounding up and down.

He tensed, growing rigid, then relaxed, sighing her name against her hair. They stayed, sated, in each other's laps for a while. Eventually, he withdrew from her and she removed the condom from his length, disposing of it for him. They both reeked of each other and sex, not to mention the fact that he still had some remnants of ketchup in his pubic hair, some of which had rubbed off on her during their lovemaking.

* * *

They stood under the warm stream of the shower.

"I'm in Kate Beckett's shower," Castle said, in mild awe.

"I was in your shower the other day," she informed him.

His eyes bulged.

"Hope you don't mind."

"Next time, could you wake me?"

"I didn't want to disturb you."

"Disturb me, always disturb me if it involves wet, naked you."

"I was standing naked in your shower with the water running on my skin, thinking about you, standing in the same place, naked. Wondering how many times you'd touched yourself thinking of me. Wondering what it would be like for you to take me there. You have a huge shower, Castle. Do you realise that? So many possibilities. And I wanted to touch myself. But I didn't want to finish without you. Had I known your mother and daughter were going to interrupt us and that Maddox had gotten to Smith... I probably would have just finished. Or maybe I would have woken you up, dragged you in with me and climbed you like a tree."

"Yes, yes, I pick that one. For future reference. Or the other one and you let me watch."

She laughed.  
"You're so cute."

He kissed her.  
"And you're the most beautiful person I've ever known," he whispered against her skin.

Wow, she loved him. God that was scary. And honestly, she could go again right now - but she knew however willing his spirit was, his flesh wasn't quite ready.

Besides, this was nice, intimate, as they washed each other, skin, hair, all of it, stopping from time to time to kiss and soak each other in.

He spotted an open contraception packet on her bathroom shelf.

She followed his gaze.

"My new prescription. I went to the doctor's and the pharmacy yesterday. I'll start taking them - well, it's a little too early in our relationship to go into details about that. So until then well just have to stick with rubbers."

He nodded.

"Do you want to use my hair-dryer?" she asked as they towelled off. "I used yours."

"Uh... I don't use a hair-dryer. I'm a man. That was my mothers."

"Then what was it doing in your bathroom?"

He sighed.  
"Fine, I use a hair-dryer."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Castle. I like the way it makes your hair look." She ran her hand through it and licked a droplet off his face.

"You make the water taste good."

He nibbled her wet earlobe.  
"So do you."

* * *

Once they were dry they lay enveloped in each other, legs intertwined, in her bed. What was happening? She had gone shopping for him. She had cooked for him (sort of). She was going on the pill.

It was like... like she was committing to him. At least in the short-term. Making room for him in her life. What did it mean? What were they?

"Are we lovers now?" he asked softly.

She smiled.  
"I like the sound of that."

"_Lovers_," he tested it out.

"_Luvvas,"_ she said, grinning."

"_Luvvas_," he echoed.

"I hope that's what we are," she said.

"If this is how you intend on spending your suspension, you may very well kill me."

She turned to him, serious.

"When I do go back to work, I want you with me."

" Of course."

" I don't want to stop working with you."

"Neither do I."

" It's important to me - our working relationship. "

"Me, too."

"But there are policies. Procedures. We'll have to keep it quiet."

"Ok."

It was important to her, and he didn't want to lose that aspect of their relationship either, so he didn't argue. At least not for now.

Form that day forward, he couldn't ever watch Kate squeezing a bottle of ketchup without getting visibly aroused. It never really become an issue until about nine years later, at their son's fourth birthday party, when he had to be very strategic with his placement of the balloons he was carrying for fear of one of the mothers at the party getting the wrong idea as he walked past the kitchen to find his wife innocently making a smiley face on a small party-pie with ketchup.


End file.
